Often in filmmaking, the movie that was conceived during the screenwriting process ends up being a completely different movie upon release. One of the more obvious examples of this is the wacky Blood Diner, released 30 years ago on July 10, 1987. What began as a serious sequel on page quickly morphed into one of the most over the top horror comedies ever.
Having fallen in love with the splatter films by the Godfather of Gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis, producer Jimmy Maslon purchased the rights to one of his absolute favorites by the director; 1963’s Blood Feast. The plot centered around a food caterer that liked to cook up female victims and offer sacrifices to the goddess Ishtar. With rights in possession, Maslon tapped screenwriter Michael Sonye to pen a sequel to the seminal splatter flick. The hope was that Herschell Gordon Lewis himself would direct, and the two brothers at the center of this sequel would be played by wrestler George “The Animal” Steele and actor Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes). The Godfather of Gore was long retired from filmmaking at this point and would only agree to direct for a substantial sum of money. Money that the budget for this planned sequel didn’t have, which meant production couldn’t afford Steele or Berryman either. The distributor, Vestron Pictures, felt there wouldn’t be enough recognition for Blood Feast to warrant an official sequel, and so the title was changed to Blood Diner.
Then director Jackie Kong was hired to direct, as part of a three-picture deal with Vestron Pictures, and the film as we know it today took shape. Kong saw the humor in the script and pushed it as far as she could. So, all the zany antics in the film? Like characters randomly switching accents throughout the film, or rival diner owner Stan’s best friend being an inanimate dummy? All intentional. The director wasn’t just interested in pushing the envelope for humor’s sake, but also for the sake of die-hard genre fans. She knew horror fans are difficult to surprise, so she sought to catch even the most jaded horror fan off guard.
One of my favorite things about Blood Diner is how likable killer brothers Michael (Rick Burks) and George (Carl Crew) Tutman are. Kong swapped out the ghoulish brothers in the script for handsome characters that you wouldn’t suspect of chopping up women for body parts. This is one of the biggest changes that made the film such an enduring cult classic; you root for these goofball brothers to succeed in resurrecting their beloved goddess Sheetar. Their goofy antics in luring women victims is both hilarious and oddly charming. When they stroll up to the nightclub donning bizarre wigs and costumes, toss a bouncer into oncoming traffic, then laugh riotously at his head pops under a car’s tires, you can’t help but laugh with them.
Perhaps ironically, neither lead actor had acted before. With the budget so low, the cast was comprised of people pretty much found off the streets of Hollywood. With Maslon’s musical background, a wide bulk of the cast was comprised of fellow musicians and the musicians’ fan base. This included lead actor Rick Burks, who had to be convinced to play the part of smarter brother Michael. He wanted to be a musician only, not an actor. Lucky for us, he took on the part, and the horror comedy was made all the better for his natural charisma. For all its durable qualities, Blood Diner also serves as a sort of memorial to Burks, who died in a car crash at the young age of 28 less than two years after Blood Diner’s release. Gone too soon, I’m glad I got to see him shine in Blood Diner.
With Kong pushing the envelope as much as possible, it’s not surprise that the rating board despised the film. The amount of nudity and gore didn’t earn the film any favors, and the rating board hated that the murderers were two next-door nice guy types over the typical gruesome killers. The scene that made them turn the film off and declare Blood Diner as morally bankrupt, however, was the scene where the brothers wear Ronald and Nancy Reagan masks and gun down a nude aerobics class. They offered a rating of ‘X,’ so Kong accepted the film as unrated with Vestron backing her decision. She figured that if she were to cut the film to make it more acceptable for the rating board, there’d likely be only about five minutes’ worth of film.
For such a strange, fun horror comedy, perhaps the most surprising element is that it’s largely driven by women. Aside from Jackie Kong’s directing, executive producer Ellen Steloff was instrumental in getting the film greenlit at all. Kong also brought over most of her female-centric crew from previous film Night Patrol, including most of the art department, costume designer Shiz Herrera, set decorators, and makeup department. For years, most fans assumed Kong was a male.
Blood Diner is far more cult classic than outright classic, and those who have seen it either love it or hate it. Either way, you’ll never forget it. Kong and crew takes the measliest budget and stretches it to its fullest, all the while cranking the fun level up to an 11. It’s silly, it’s gory, and it’s probably offensive and these are precisely the reasons why I love it. Kong was one of the early adopters of the concept of rooting for the film’s villains, and it’s a shame she hasn’t been tapped to direct more genre work since.
While Herschell Gordon Lewis did eventually direct a legit sequel to his 1963 film, Kong’s screwball horror comedy still hasn’t seen a follow up despite ferocious, hungry goddess Sheetar being unleashed upon Hollywood 30 years ago. It’s about time to see what Sheetar has been up to all these years, and I’ve love for Kong to tell that story.
What about you? Are you team love it or hate it?
